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DenialTwist posted:This is from a thread a while back and might be a great thing to show her, it's pretty informative. http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2009/how_not_to_buy_a_puppy/main.html And it's from Canada, Good luck! Something like this is exactly what I was looking for!!! Thanks! Unfortunately she appears to have been extremely offended by my attempts to educate her on the conditions her puppy came from =[ I was initially communicating to her through Facebook and she deleted the pictures and blocked me =[ Oh well. I emailed the link to her mom, hopefully she watches it.
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Jul 11, 2009 22:05
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One of my dog REALLY hates it when I apply Advantage. She starts skulking as soon as I pop the applicator, and continues to skulk & sulk around for hours and sometimes days afterward. She's currently hiding under the comforter in my guestroom.  How likely is it that its actually hurting her vs. she's just a weenie? She does have skin allergies when she eats certain proteins, and occasionally will lose hair around bugbites, so I suppose she's got sensitive skin. Do other dogs ever react this way to flea meds?
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Jul 11, 2009 23:05
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I asked this probably about a year ago, but what can I know about allergens and how to reduce/eliminate them? I'm starting to really miss having a cat, but my roommate for the next year or so is pretty allergic to cats. He likes cats, however, and wouldn't mind me having one, just he gets all puffy. He is even open to the idea of getting allergen treatments if I can cover the cost. Are allergy treatment plans effective? Should I look at finding a cat that doesn't hate water and just bathe him/her regularly? I've seen some confusing information online about allergens and etc, so wanted to see what SA had to say. (Disclaimer since I got jumped on last time: I will be getting the cat, not me and my roommate. I live with other folks in a house and not some frat/dorm/etc. I am aware of cat responsibilities and make enough money to be able to take care of it/pick where I live.)
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Jul 12, 2009 18:42
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MoCookies posted:One of my dog REALLY hates it when I apply Advantage. She starts skulking as soon as I pop the applicator, and continues to skulk & sulk around for hours and sometimes days afterward. She's currently hiding under the comforter in my guestroom. Sam freaks out as soon as he sees me open the Advantage box. My opinion on him is that he's just being a weenie. YMMV
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Jul 12, 2009 21:16
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MoCookies posted:One of my dog REALLY hates it when I apply Advantage. She starts skulking as soon as I pop the applicator, and continues to skulk & sulk around for hours and sometimes days afterward. She's currently hiding under the comforter in my guestroom. If she hates it that much it might be worth it to try another topical, like Frontline, and see if she reacts the same. She may just hate topical applications, or there may be something in Advantage she reacts to, though I haven't heard of that before. If she doesn't respond well to a different topical you could also switch to Comfortis, the once-a-month flea pill.
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Jul 12, 2009 21:17
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This doesn't seem deserving of it's own thread, so here it is. Jade, our hyper territorial Queen of All Cats, refuses to let Calamity out of the bedroom. It's been about four months now and she's still not allowed out; if Jade sees her trying, she immediately chases her back in as if the safety of the entire house depended on it. We're really worried about this. Calamity seems content enough hanging out in the bedroom now, but we want to be able to come out into the front room with us if she wants. We've tried FeliAway, spray bottles, and locking Jade in the bathroom for a few hours so Calamity can wander around, but nothing seems to be working and Calamity doesn't seem to want to try to leave anymore. Is there anything to be done (short of moving Jade out), or have the territory lines already been set down for this apartment?
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Jul 13, 2009 03:34
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MoCookies posted:One of my dog REALLY hates it when I apply Advantage. She starts skulking as soon as I pop the applicator, and continues to skulk & sulk around for hours and sometimes days afterward. She's currently hiding under the comforter in my guestroom. Our dog does this. He is impossible to apply the flea meds to, and after they're done he gives us the "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME" puppy eyes, and sulks. We have him loose in our bedroom at night and last night after we applied the flea stuff, he slept in his crate. 
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Jul 13, 2009 13:17
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trigger posted:Our dog does this. He is impossible to apply the flea meds to, and after they're done he gives us the "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME" puppy eyes, and sulks. We have him loose in our bedroom at night and last night after we applied the flea stuff, he slept in his crate. This! Too funny. Pretty much what Nellie did that night. Thanks for all the feedback everyone. She most assuredly is a weenie in general, but I'll see if she'll give me same reaction when I apply a different flea med next time.
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Jul 13, 2009 14:36
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Chokes McGee posted:This doesn't seem deserving of it's own thread, so here it is. Not an identical situation, but my newest cat lived under the couch for 6 months before she would move around in anything but utter darkness.
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Jul 13, 2009 22:09
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I checked the first few pages of PI to see if anyone has had similar training problems, but came up short. I was wondering if there were any SA-approved websites that would share how to train a dog out of its separation anxiety. My mother always brings her damned dog with her when she visits, and he barks like crazy when we leave him in my apartment. I hate that dog, and I'm sure my neighbours do, too. If I need to create my own thread to explain the dog situation, I can, but I figured there was probably reading material somewhere that I just couldn't find. I know I can google-search, but everyone has their own theory on dog training. I prefer the advice from PI more often than not, so I'd rather read up on how to correct the problem with material that is generally approved by some of the more experienced dog owners here.
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Jul 13, 2009 23:07
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Lore posted:I checked the first few pages of PI to see if anyone has had similar training problems, but came up short. I was wondering if there were any SA-approved websites that would share how to train a dog out of its separation anxiety. My mother always brings her damned dog with her when she visits, and he barks like crazy when we leave him in my apartment. I hate that dog, and I'm sure my neighbours do, too. This is a really good source for training material: http://www.ddfl.org/tips.htm#dog Here's the PDF for separation anxiety: http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/sep-anxiety.pdf Basically, it involves leaving the dog alone for increasing amounts of time until they stop freaking out. We've had the most success by giving Cambria a small treat whenever we leave. Now she gets excited when I pick up my keys, because she knows that a treat is coming.
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Jul 13, 2009 23:38
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Ok, so I posted earlier that my dog has lost a big patch of fur right under his collar. I'm positive it's due to the collar, or at least mostly due to that, because the patch of baldness is perfectly rectangular. So I bought him a new collar (a rolled leather one, because I've heard those will be less destructive to the coat) and I've been trying not to have it on him too much. I have a harness that I use when we're out walking (he has issues with pulling) but his collar has his id tags on it so I'm afraid to leave it off when he's out on the off chance he gets away somehow. Anyway, yesterday morning he woke me up super early to go out and I wasn't thinking and forgot to use the harness and he was pulling and stuff and now the skin on his neck has a big red rash-y looking spot. I suspect it's from the leather collar chaffing on it. I guess my questions are: 1. IS it because of the collar? It didn't show up until yesterday but he's obviously had the bald patch for a least a week and 2. what should I do about it other than leaving the collar off until it's healed up?
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Jul 14, 2009 13:14
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I would probably just leave the collar off him for a few days and see if it clears up. Baldness around his collar is pretty understandable though, and nothing to worry about. I wouldn't worry. Better a bald spot than him getting out without his collar and tags, right?
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Jul 14, 2009 14:07
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I'm entering college in Ohio and I recently found out about the 4 Paws for Ability program stationed in the area. When I get an apartment as a junior or senior, I want to volunteer to socialize a dog in preparation for service. The dog will basically have to come with me everywhere.  Here's the thing: I love dogs, but I've never been allowed to have one (various allergies in the family). Am I setting myself up for failure? I have at least three or four years before any of this happens, is there something I can do to prepare myself like volunteering at a local shelter first?
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Jul 14, 2009 15:04
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Well, their website says:4 Paws for Ability posted:The family members who are actually working with the puppy are required to meet with our Training Supervisor 1-2 times a month. In addition, the home will attend lessons (puppy kindergarten and basic obedience), at a dog club or 4H program in their area. Why don't you contact the training supervisor and find out where most people in your area attend training lessons and try to go to a few of those to find out more about the group and the types of things you'll be expected to learn with the dog? These sessions should also go over things like how to interact with your dog, positive reinforcement, housebreaking, etc. and not just teaching your dog how to sit. That would be a good place to start.
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Jul 14, 2009 15:43
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Background: I am a college student that is visiting home. My dog is a mix that my family got from a shelter 5 years ago. We've named her Gypsy. Lately she whips her head around like something is annoying her. At first I thought it was fleas but it continues after baths and such. I am starting to wonder if it could be something in her ears or something more serious. I've been reading about ear mites but haven't seen her scratch at her ears or any build up there.It is only really noticeable when she tries to sleep and you hear/see her move every so often. Question: I'm going to take her to the vet, but I was wondering if anyone had anything else they thought I should look out for or read about.
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Jul 14, 2009 16:05
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Excessive shaking of the head and ears generally indicates an ear infection. You will not always be able to see signs of an infection when there is one. When she "whips" her head around is she looking for something behind her, or doing it to shake her head? I'd say going to the vet is your best call for sure.
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Jul 14, 2009 16:19
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Zombiesinmyshower! posted:Excessive shaking of the head and ears generally indicates an ear infection. You will not always be able to see signs of an infection when there is one. When she "whips" her head around is she looking for something behind her, or doing it to shake her head? I'd say going to the vet is your best call for sure. Thanks for the reply. She definitely shaking her head and not looking somewhere. I'll make it my priority to get her to the vet.
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Jul 14, 2009 16:33
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Hey, I'm taking my cat to an emergency vet tonight but I wanted to ask anyway. Research says that if my cat has had "watery, explosive" diarrhea for more than 2 days I should call a vet immediately. However my vet has no appointments available till Saturday and at that point it would be a week my poor kitty has been squirting. I was giving her pet anti-diarrhea medicine that had worked on other occasions but this time after 2 days of directed use there is absolutely NO improvement. My question is, how serious can this be? Web sites say it "can be a serious problem" but no specifics are given. I'm not taking any risks so she's going to the emergency vet tonight. The other question is how much does this usually cost? One time I took her for a sick visit to the regular vet and it was $250.
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Jul 14, 2009 17:54
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Funkysauce posted:Hey, I'm taking my cat to an emergency vet tonight but I wanted to ask anyway. If I were you, I'd take her tonight but also make a Saturday appointment at your regular vet in case things aren't clearing up, or in case the e-vet wants to do all sorts of expensive stuff that you may want a second opinion on. If it's something simple, you can just cancel.
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Jul 14, 2009 18:11
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Does anyone have any experience with feral cats? We are looking at some feral kittens for adoption right now. They were captured when they were only a few weeks old and have been in captivity for a few weeks. They're at a foster home right now. They seem fairly calm when held and we even got them to play but I feel so bad when we let them down and they run away and hide. I just need reassurance that they will not hate people one day.
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Jul 15, 2009 03:03
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HondaCivet posted:Does anyone have any experience with feral cats? We are looking at some feral kittens for adoption right now. They were captured when they were only a few weeks old and have been in captivity for a few weeks. They're at a foster home right now. They seem fairly calm when held and we even got them to play but I feel so bad when we let them down and they run away and hide.
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Jul 15, 2009 03:26
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HondaCivet posted:Does anyone have any experience with feral cats? We are looking at some feral kittens for adoption right now. They were captured when they were only a few weeks old and have been in captivity for a few weeks. They're at a foster home right now. They seem fairly calm when held and we even got them to play but I feel so bad when we let them down and they run away and hide. We have two cats now that we trapped from kittens last summer. The one we trapped when she was 4 weeks old and she's shy with strangers, but very loving with people she knows. She loves to snuggle under blankets and is one of the loudest purrers I've ever heard. The other one we got when he was 8 weeks old, and we caught two of his brothers within a few days of him also. Ours is very shy and you can't touch him unless you've lured him to you with food. His brothers are about the same. We probably didn't socialize them as much we could have, but they ended up improving a lot from kittens who were terrified of people and bite and hissed and scratched if you went near them. How old were they when they were caught?
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Jul 15, 2009 03:47
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HondaCivet posted:Does anyone have any experience with feral cats? We are looking at some feral kittens for adoption right now. They were captured when they were only a few weeks old and have been in captivity for a few weeks. They're at a foster home right now. They seem fairly calm when held and we even got them to play but I feel so bad when we let them down and they run away and hide. My tuxedo took a long time to warm up, but she is a total lover now. She is a total lap cat. She is terrified of strangers and will hide for a full day if we have company, but I couldn't ask for a sweeter kitty. I didn't get her until she was over 6 months at least and it was an exceptionally slow frustrating process, but I wouldn't trade her for anything.
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Jul 15, 2009 05:10
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tse1618 posted:We have two cats now that we trapped from kittens last summer. The one we trapped when she was 4 weeks old and she's shy with strangers, but very loving with people she knows. She loves to snuggle under blankets and is one of the loudest purrers I've ever heard. The other one we got when he was 8 weeks old, and we caught two of his brothers within a few days of him also. Ours is very shy and you can't touch him unless you've lured him to you with food. His brothers are about the same. We probably didn't socialize them as much we could have, but they ended up improving a lot from kittens who were terrified of people and bite and hissed and scratched if you went near them. I think they were 4-6 weeks old when they were caught. They are like 3 months old now. Bonus cute picture of them:  We are also looking at a pair of adult brothers that are bonded to each other but they were not caught until they were 6 months old . . . I want to give them a chance but I am afraid that they will probably always be very feral. They have bonded with their foster parents, would they ever bond with new owners?
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Jul 15, 2009 13:39
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We've had an one year old Boston Terrier mix for two weeks now and when everyone is around she's a calm and mellow dog who likes nothing more than letting my 4 year old cover her up in blankets and cuddle. However once alone she goes dog wild chewing stuff up. On Monday she got a magazine, child's sleeping bad, and a pillow. She's now caged when no one's around. Any suggestions on how to break her of this? Our other dog was considerate enough to do this kind of thing when we were watching so it was easy to use positive reinforcement to break him of his chewing. But I can't punish the new dog for something that could have happened several hours before.
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Jul 15, 2009 14:43
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HondaCivet posted:We are also looking at a pair of adult brothers that are bonded to each other but they were not caught until they were 6 months old . . . I want to give them a chance but I am afraid that they will probably always be very feral. They have bonded with their foster parents, would they ever bond with new owners? I'm not an expert, but I feel that if they are capable of bonding with humans at all, they can bond with pretty much anyone who treats them well. With feral cats, it can be just that first step of getting them to recognize people as good and not a thing to hide from / try to kill.
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Jul 15, 2009 14:43
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HondaCivet posted:We are also looking at a pair of adult brothers that are bonded to each other but they were not caught until they were 6 months old . . . I want to give them a chance but I am afraid that they will probably always be very feral. They have bonded with their foster parents, would they ever bond with new owners? I did feral cat rescue for a few years, and yes, even the older kittens would come around eventually. They weren't "OMG LOVE U" cats, but they would always greet us warmly when we came home ("Oh, it's you... bye") and would act like they were doing us a huge favor by keeping our laps warm. To seriously anthropomorphize, they didn't act scared, it was more like they were embarrassed to be seen liking us. They were especially fond of snuggling with us while we slept, until we looked at or touched them, then moving off in a huff. They definitely bond to new owners. It just takes a little longer sometimes. Remember, even fully feral cats, if they see a positive relationship between human interaction and something they badly want, will make themselves quite friendly. You just want to establish routines involving rewards so that they have an easier time making the connection.
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Jul 15, 2009 14:49
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Krispy Kareem posted:We've had an one year old Boston Terrier mix for two weeks now and when everyone is around she's a calm and mellow dog who likes nothing more than letting my 4 year old cover her up in blankets and cuddle. However once alone she goes dog wild chewing stuff up. On Monday she got a magazine, child's sleeping bad, and a pillow. She's now caged when no one's around. Any suggestions on how to break her of this? Our other dog was considerate enough to do this kind of thing when we were watching so it was easy to use positive reinforcement to break him of his chewing. But I can't punish the new dog for something that could have happened several hours before. Crating while you're gone is good practice to keep up. Some dogs get really anxious when their leader is gone, and that anxiety is what fuels the destructive behavior. I'd wager that this is what your dog is going. After most dogs learn that the crate is their safe place, they're really happiest there when they can't be with you. This is what I do with 2/3 of my dogs; my girls love their crate, and I don't have to worry when I'm gone. Other dogs are just bored, but that too is best solved by separating them from anything you don't want destroyed. Is there any reason in particular you're resistant to continue crating your dog when you're gone?
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Jul 15, 2009 16:03
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Krispy Kareem posted:We've had an one year old Boston Terrier mix for two weeks now and when everyone is around she's a calm and mellow dog who likes nothing more than letting my 4 year old cover her up in blankets and cuddle. However once alone she goes dog wild chewing stuff up. On Monday she got a magazine, child's sleeping bad, and a pillow. She's now caged when no one's around. Any suggestions on how to break her of this? Our other dog was considerate enough to do this kind of thing when we were watching so it was easy to use positive reinforcement to break him of his chewing. But I can't punish the new dog for something that could have happened several hours before. The Puppy FAQ here has a section on crate training which you could start with for when you're gone during the day  It will keep him out of trouble and you can provide him things that are appropriate to chew on and not have to worry about him getting into things.
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Jul 15, 2009 16:04
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HondaCivet posted:I think they were 4-6 weeks old when they were caught. They are like 3 months old now. Yes, I just remembered that besides the kittens we caught when they were 8 weeks old, we used to have a feral cat we only got after she was hit by a car and it killed the kittens she was pregnant with. She became much friendlier than the older kittens we caught are, although she's still not an outgoing cat. Most of the time she'll run away when she sees you, but if you catch at the right time she purrs and rubs against you like crazy. It's not just the age they're caught at, but also the personality of the cat. I know cats born and raised with people who are more shy than any of the feral caught cats we've had.
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Jul 15, 2009 16:14
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MoCookies posted:Crating while you're gone is good practice to keep up. Some dogs get really anxious when their leader is gone, and that anxiety is what fuels the destructive behavior. I'd wager that this is what your dog is going. After most dogs learn that the crate is their safe place, they're really happiest there when they can't be with you. This is what I do with 2/3 of my dogs; my girls love their crate, and I don't have to worry when I'm gone. Other dogs are just bored, but that too is best solved by separating them from anything you don't want destroyed. Is there any reason in particular you're resistant to continue crating your dog when you're gone? We have another dog whose far more hyper than the new one. He was crated for a year and it was a big deal when we were finally able to give him free reign of the house. The new dog is much more mellow so it was a surprise when this occurred. I'm not against crating, but I was hoping to avoid it as the new dog doesn't like crating in the least bit. Alas, we can't handle too many more days like Monday.
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Jul 15, 2009 16:45
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Are there any noticeable behavioural differences between neutered male and spayed female dogs?
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Jul 15, 2009 22:18
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Aeglowyn posted:Are there any noticeable behavioural differences between neutered male and spayed female dogs? To some degree I think this depends on breed. I haven't noticed sex based differences in the labs and goldens I've known, other than that many neutered males continue to feel a need to mark their territory with urine. I've heard from some of the sighthound people that males tend to be more outgoing and friendly, while females are more reserved. Not sure if that holds once they are fixed though. Individual and breed differences in behavior typically far overshadow sex based differences.
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Jul 15, 2009 23:42
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I recently adopted a timid chow/corgi mix who is a picky eater. She usually won't touch her food unless I sprinkle cheese over it, but even then she only takes a couple bites before leaving it alone. I don't leave her food out all day, and I praise her like crazy when she does start eating. I've taken her to the vet to get her checked, and the vet didn't find anything that would cause her to lose appetite. The vet prescribed Panacure as a precautionary de-wormer, which comes in powder form to be ingested with food. The vet also said that she actually needs to gain about 10 pounds. I'm aware that it may just be that she's still adjusting from the massive change of stray/shelter life, but I'm interested if there's anything else I could do to help her.
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Jul 16, 2009 06:24
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My girlfriend wants to get her 5 year old cat neutered. She found some place that charges only $40 to do the procedure.. but they don't do any kind of blood tests to see if he will be alright when they put him under (So she says). Her friend took a kitten there to get fixed and the little guy is alright. Does this sound legit or does it sound like some guy working on cats out of his basement? I think $40 dollars is a little under-priced (or maybe just a good deal?) especially for an older cat. Thoughts, comments, suggestions?
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Jul 16, 2009 15:21
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MrSamurai posted:I recently adopted a timid chow/corgi mix who is a picky eater. She usually won't touch her food unless I sprinkle cheese over it, but even then she only takes a couple bites before leaving it alone. I don't leave her food out all day, and I praise her like crazy when she does start eating. I've taken her to the vet to get her checked, and the vet didn't find anything that would cause her to lose appetite. The vet prescribed Panacure as a precautionary de-wormer, which comes in powder form to be ingested with food. The vet also said that she actually needs to gain about 10 pounds. I'm aware that it may just be that she's still adjusting from the massive change of stray/shelter life, but I'm interested if there's anything else I could do to help her. I have an old poodle who loses his appetite sometimes, so we keep vitagravy in the fridge. I mix it in with the kibble so every piece has some flavor on it. Works for me but my dog only has this problem every once in a while.
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Jul 16, 2009 15:32
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Polish posted:My girlfriend wants to get her 5 year old cat neutered. She found some place that charges only $40 to do the procedure.. but they don't do any kind of blood tests to see if he will be alright when they put him under (So she says). Her friend took a kitten there to get fixed and the little guy is alright. I took my cat to a low cost spay/neuter facility. It cost $40, and it was a good job. They had a bunch of vets there that volunteer their time on weekends to do it. They do go through a lot of cats very quickly, but a neuter at least is a pretty easy surgery.
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Jul 16, 2009 15:43
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Polish posted:My girlfriend wants to get her 5 year old cat neutered. She found some place that charges only $40 to do the procedure.. but they don't do any kind of blood tests to see if he will be alright when they put him under (So she says). Her friend took a kitten there to get fixed and the little guy is alright.
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Jul 16, 2009 15:45
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Polish posted:My girlfriend wants to get her 5 year old cat neutered. She found some place that charges only $40 to do the procedure.. but they don't do any kind of blood tests to see if he will be alright when they put him under (So she says). Her friend took a kitten there to get fixed and the little guy is alright. Humane societies and shelters often run low-cost spay/neuter programs. Have you looked for anything like that? Is this guy even a real vet? It sounds strange.
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Jul 16, 2009 15:46
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